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Reinforcements Arrive in Kalamanda

Tammy Cloris stops to answer questions as refugees of Kalamanda flee the village.

The situation in Kalamanda has grown dire as reinforcements pour in from both Noxus and Demacia. Spokesmen from both delegations have promised that the troops are merely arriving to ensure the protection of the important city-state leaders present. Both encampments await the interrogation of the Demacian prisoner who confessed to framing Noxus for the sabotage of a Demacian mine. The interrogation has been delayed at the request of King Jarvan III of Demacia, without any public explanation.

The steady influx of soldiers has transformed the Kalamanda countryside, dotting it with military tents and banners. At the same time, Kalamanda villagers have been leaving the region in droves, many abandoning their homes and possessions for fear of imminent violence. “They keep saying there’s nothing to worry about, that the League won’t let anything happen to us. But what can the League do about the armies gathering on our doorsteps?” asked Tammy Cloris, departing Kalamanda with her husband and three children.

The leaders of both delegations have remained largely removed from the public eye. Some villagers reported seeing General Swain stalking the perimeter of the mines at night, but he hasn’t officially stepped outside his camp since Mayor Anson Ridley granted the King of Demacia’s request for postponement of the interrogation.

On the Demacian side, neither the King nor the Prince have been seen outside the Royal Tent at all, prompting some to wonder if they even remain in the village.

“Those Demacians are up to something. They seemed pretty agitated when the prisoner came forward. I think it’s pretty suspicious that the squeaky clean king needed to put off questioning the prisoner,” stated Yorn Flimmey, one of Kalamanda’s volunteer watchmen, “What’s an innocent guy need so much extra time for? I’d love to know what Jarvan said to Ridley to accept these terms.”

The mayor has not answered any questions to that effect, but he has asked the citizens of Kalamanda to remain calm. According to him, “both delegations have been respectful and cooperative with regards to Kalamanda’s investigation. There is no reason to doubt either of their commitments to discovering the truth.”

The prisoner himself has been kept under careful lock and key, and only Ridley’s most trusted men have been allowed anywhere near him. “It is critical that we handle this properly, and the fact of the matter is that we need time to do that.” Ridley assured, “We all want to get to the bottom of this, and we are proceeding as quickly as possible.”

Heimerdinger Denounced by Yordle Peer

Revered Inventor becomes the target of criticism at the Yordle Academy

The Yordle Academy of Science & Progress gained attention in Piltover this week when League Champion and Academy founder Heimerdinger was publically denounced by Rumble, a yordle mechanic from Bandle City. Rumble accused the Revered Inventor of selling out advanced yordle technology for human gain and proclaimed himself the new face of yordle superiority in the field.

Heimerdinger reportedly received a 'yawper,' a yordle communication device for broadcasting vocal messages over a large distance, from Bandle City yesterday morning. "Heimerdinger gets yawpers all the time," said Dominic Hadley, a human student and page to the Revered Inventor at the Academy. "They're usually from fans or his colleagues abroad—especially those in Bandle City—but this one was different." According to witnesses at the Academy, this particular contraption had been engineered to broadcast its recorded message to every capable communication device within a one-mile radius. When Heimerdinger activated the yawper, nearly all present at the Academy heard its message. The final portion is transcribed below:

"Heimerdinger—your 'revered inventor'—is nothing but a sellout! Like a hextech lapdog for human masters, he gives away superior yordle innovations—and for what? For what? A pat on the head? He isn't a leader; he's a pathetic disgrace to Bandle City and to all yordles everywhere! I, Rumble, will soon demonstrate the true power of yordle technology without the hold of a human leash! Prepare yourselves!"

Despite the intensity of the message, Heimerdinger himself was not perturbed. "Perhaps the Academy’s title is misleading! This is a place for progress and for all who seek it. Race and point of origin are not variables in the equation. Rumble has one hundred percent miscalculated our intentions!"

Following the incident, contacts in Bandle City reported that the name Rumble is fairly well-known amongst local yordles. As it turns out, Rumble has been called a ‘born mechanic’ himself: "I recommended him to the Yordle Academy a few years ago," said Flindle Waldor, one of Heimerdinger's Bandle City-based colleagues and Rumble’s former teacher. "But he wouldn't go! Bit of a disappointment, if you ask me. The boy made up for what he lacked in size with pure brainpower, and he could’ve had real success if he wasn’t such a hothead!”

Despite his message to Piltover, Bandle City reports that Rumble's current whereabouts are unknown. "He left his workshop abandoned two months ago and no one's seen him since," said Waldor. "Took all of his tools and vanished." Security at the Academy has been slightly elevated, but Bandle City investigators report that their leads on Rumble himself, for the most part, have run cold. The dissenting yordle mechanic's next move remains to be seen.

The Eye Inside

As promised, yours truly had been on the quest to bring you, the reader, the truth as I never have before. A new champion has recently entered the League of Legends, a mysterious and dangerous champion who blazes with the anger of the sun. His name is Brand. For his destructive nature, he has been kept under lock and key by the summoners of the Institute of War, hidden away from the good people of Valoran. Until now.

My requests to speak with the Burning Vengeance were initially denied. Then, they were denied again, and so on. However, my recent experiences have created in me a determination that cannot be thwarted. Calling in favors and using tricks I can't reveal, I was finally granted an audience with Brand so that I could ask him ten questions. No more, no less.

Again, I go. While the Champion in question is equally as dangerous as Shaco, this time I am guarded by a negatron cage and the agents of the League itself. I learn from my mistakes.

10 Questions with Brand

Ram: “Thank you for agreeing to this interview Brand. There are many across Valoran who are keen to hear your story.”

Brand: [Unleashes a conflagration, trying desperately to burn me through the invisible walls of his cell.]

Ram: “You can talk to me or I can leave you here. Alone. Again. Your choice.”

Brand: [Settles down a little and begins to pace.] “If this is my only stimulation, fine.”

Ram: “Let's start with the question on everyone's mind: what are you?”

Brand: “What do you think I am?”

Ram: “A fire-mage who went too far? Some sort of possessing entity? A murderous madman who lit himself on fire? These have all been posed.”

Brand: “No! I am something far greater! I am the Burning Vengeance!”

Ram: “But what exactly is that?”

Brand: “A primal elemental spirit, fool. Can you understand that?”

Ram: “So, if you're a spirit, then that isn't your body. Whose is it?”

Brand: “It hardly matters.”

Ram: “Again, whose body do you wear?

Brand: “His name was Kegan Rodhe. He came from a land you know as Lokfar. He was a sea-raider. He was a violent and fool-hardy man.”

Ram: “Is there anything left of Kegan in there? If you were to be driven out, would he return?”

Brand: “My real name is not anything you could understand. This name says what it needs to say. That is enough.”

Ram: “How did you come into being? I mean, we're born from parents and even the Cryophoenix has an origin. What's yours?”

Brand: “I was born with the world. At first, I flowed through it. Then, I flowed into it and took a body. Then, my purpose became plain.”

Ram: “And that is...”

Brand: “To purify the world. To renew it. To burn it down again and again to make way for what is to come. That's what your League doesn't understand. I am not evil. I am nature. I am necessary.”

Ram: “So how did you come to be here in Valoran? You are primal and the body you've stolen comes from a far-off continent. It seems strange.”

Brand: “The hellish waters of this world dragged me here. I am nature. I go where I must.”

Ram: “Fighting in the League of Legends seems like an odd choice. Why are you here?”

Brand: “Does this prison not say it all! I am forced to do this. I have no choice. I am a slave of your League, muzzled like a dog. I am forced to deny my purpose and contain my power. And only until your summoners find a way to destroy me, which they research as we speak.”

Ram: “It is rumored that you were imprisoned in Lokfar for millennia, which is perhaps why no one has ever seen you before. If those who'd imprisoned you couldn't find a way to destroy you then, do you think there's a way to do so now?”

Brand: “Why would I answer a foolish question like that?”

Ram: “Because sometimes it's as much in what you don't say as what you do say. Last question. If there was one thing you wanted the people of Valoran to know, what would it be?”

Brand: “Your League of Legends is not what you think it is and your summoners are not heroes. Beware.”

And at that, I was escorted by my League representative out of the building. Fortunately, my questions were answered. However, other questions have been posed. Why is the League forcing such a being to fight instead of simply holding him prisoner? What did Brand mean by his parting words? Why was the League so eager to have me removed once they were said?

It sounds like there's more truth to be uncovered. Sounds like a job for Ram Steed.

Until next time, faithful readers.

The Mailbag of Justice

It often seems that we Runeterrans are poised on the brink of disaster. I believe that it’s important to remember the good we’re capable of, and the things we’ve achieved by cooperating with each other. To the many of you who are concerned about what’s happening in Kalamanda: have faith in the League, it exists for a reason.

“As a summoner, I’ve noticed all champions are of roughly equal strength, I wonder if the League has ever denied a champion for being too weak, or in fact, too strong. Has a foolhardy summoner ever attempted to "forcefully extract" a champion who is too powerful for the League from another plane?” – Summoner Harlon Nayl

Champions are some of the most formidable warriors alive. They battle each other every day. A creature may seem unstoppable when it joins the League, but eventually the other champions learn how to fight it. Some champions are indeed summoned from other planes to exploit their powers, but it has been illegal to perform such a summoning without permission from the League for quite some time.

“It is awesome to know that Mother Nature finally has a real soldier that will teach all those reckless mages the pains of their thoughtless actions. I am curious though, do you actively participate in rallies for green movements? Or do you spend most of your time visiting forests of Runeterra and reminiscing of days of old?”

P.S. I love the giggles and cries of your saplings, is there a chance that summoners might be able to get one to take home and care for? – Summoner Wobbuffet2

Maokai’s pledge to stand against the corruptive forces of magic has not necessarily made him one of the most popular champions amongst summoners, but one has to admire his conviction. While he objects to the magic man employs, he is patient with us.

“‘Green movements?’ This is an interesting name. I do my part in the League so that men can know the error of their ways. I don’t go to rallies. I don’t think I would be comfortable there. I am close to peace in the forests of Runeterra, as you say, but with this magic coursing through me, I can never truly be free. As for your other question, the saplings are not toys. You cannot ‘have’ one, but there are trees all around. Most have wonderful personalities. You just need to take the time to notice.”

“Do the champions of the League receive any sort of psychological shielding from the torments they suffer when on the Fields of Justice? Dying over and over seems rough enough, but the abilities of some champions in particular (Malzahar, Fiddlesticks, Karthus) seem like they would create lasting mental trauma. I doubt that a Demacian or a Noxian would admit weakness by applying for counseling, but are such services provided to them?” – Tempus Hustle

Most services are made available to champions. They can usually afford the finest luxuries with what is provided by the League, but psychological trauma is actually less common than you might suspect. Champions are subjected to Judgments which test their mental fortitude before they are admitted to the League, and many have overcome extraordinarily difficult trials in their pasts.